Neelkanth Mahadev Temple

Uttarakhand , Pauri Garhwal, Dehradun

At the nature's delight of the confluence of the Madhumati and Pankaja rivers, amidst three valleys of Vishnukoot, Brahmakoot & Manikoot stands the Neelkanth Mahadeva temple. The shrine dedicated to the divinity of Lord Shiva, who drank poison to save the universe. The shrine is believed to have built by Sage Mekh Chand. It is one of the major temples in Rishikesh pilgrim circuit.

Legend

Mythology attributes the legend of the temple to Samudra manthan or churning of the ocean between Devas and Asura. During the churning,extremely poisonous venom came out. Lord Shiva took a to drinking the venom to save the universe. His throat turned blue, as Parvati devi caught his neck and the poison accumulated in his throat. It is said that the temple exists at the place where Lord Shiva drank the poison. Neelkanth literally means the 'the blue throated one'.

This Temple is part of famous Haridwar Rishikesh Yatra.

Architecture

The temple is vibrant and richly hued. The tiered tower is adorned with sculptures of Gods and Goddeses. The entire story of samudra manthan is depicted with intricate architecture. The main entrance has beautifully carved pillars. A life-sized idol of goddess Parvati is seated near the entrance. The idol in the temple is Lingam, encased in silver & it has an opening at the top to see the original form. Opposite to the lingam is present Lord Shiva's mount Nandi, the bull.

Darsan Info

Neelkanth Mahadeva temple timings : 6.00 AM to 9.00PM. During the Shravan Sivrathri, devotees trek from Haridwar to the temple

Darsan Dresscode

Devotees are advised to dress in clean and conservative attire

Famous Festival

March - Maha Shivratri

August - Shivratri of Shravan

Culture

Rishikesh and Haridwar are the first cities in India to be given the title of "twin national heritage cities". Rishikesh is a meat free and alcohol free city due to its spiritual environment. The Ganga aarti performed during the dusk is very popular. Rishikesh is also the starting point of many pilgrimages to the Himalayan regions.

Temple Rituals

The priests perform regular rituals and pujas to the deity. Devotees take a dip at the holy spring near the Neelkanth Mahadev temple before darshan. They also tie sacred thread on the tree to get their wishes fulfilled

Special Rituals

The gods are believed to have poured water on Lord Shiva's head to calm him down when he drank poison, emulating which the devotees pour Ganga water on the lingam.